Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-09-03
The hill itself lies directly north from

the valley of Mexico, and the sacred
 nres of the people who once worshipped
 these must have served as beacon tC
 guide the early Aztecs who journeyed from their capital in this direction. | Everyone must be his own Columbus and explore for himself a path among the rugged hills of X1chicaleo. through helds thickly streun with volcanic debris and past the open shafts of many an abandoned mine, which show that sIl- yer has once been found here-Rnd may be again when Yankee enterprise and capital come to dig deeper than the lazy and t5rlftless Spanisrds. At one slowly climbs up the tsrrsced steps of the great hill. the intense heat which has tortured him below gradually gives place to cooling breeZes and a glorious prospect is unfolded, chiefly of barren hills and plains. divided everywhere with deep bsrrsncas, and two lovely lakes to the southwsrd. Great stones are scattered all around. most of them exactly seven feet long by three feet brosd; and all the numerous blocks of porphyry winch inclOse the building and perhaps encased the entire cerro, were brought from a great distance and N1Ao NhNNP uOhbAAGCC " or rather by back. The stones of the crowning structure ere laid upon each other without cement and kept in place by their own weight alone and as most of them are elaborstely sculptured. there IS no question that the bassi rilievi were out after the pyramid was erected.
 wish l could give you B picture of some of the strange carvings, grotesque wsrriors m battle array, beasts whose likeness never existed on earth, twisted serpents and unguessable symbols, all wrought with utmost care. by
 UNKNOWN woRKMES,
 Many centuries ago. Standing apart Rs It does, far from every other group in Mexico, this ruin IS little visited, but really deserves the closer attention be- cause of its isolated position and unique decorations. About thirty years ego a celebrated antiquarian wrote of It Es follows:
 Who the builders of ,Lis pyramid were. no one can tell. There Is no tra- ditIOn of them, or of th.Ir temple, fer it Eas outissied both histCry aad mem cry. No enc Rho examines the figures with which 1t IS coated csn iGIl to con- meet the desIGns with the reoEle who dwels and worshipped In tGe t1mpies aud palaces of distant UxmCl and Pal enque."
 By far the best description I have seen was that by Mir. Fred O5er. tEe graphic writer and indets'igablo antiqus- Tian, who in bIs excellent book called Travels in Mexico" sCy6: After We had rested and examined the mGesJyo Rtruc- fsF FIa m -F sIonary crept over the hI!i Jy E narrow path, through thick brush and found 8 D. sck hole, leading underground to 8 great cavern. This series of vaults was partially explored by order of the gov erumeni. nearly fifty years sgo; but the superstitions of the Indians (Who be- liege them haunted by the spirits of their ancestors) prevented q thorough examination.
 We investigated the chambers as fsr as we could. by the aid of sputtering candle, and were lost in wonder at their height and extent. The old explorers mention of ''cupols" of cut stones, grad uRlly diminishing in size ss they neared | the top, and forming a beautiful mosaic. with sn sperature through the roof of the cavern which was supposed to lead | to the temple above. This we found ID | .hs center of the main saloon (which IS | ninety feet long) but it was dive5tcd of | l,s wrought stone. Instead We found | that the walls and floor were covered | with a very hard and smooth cement.
 Although these crypts may have some | with the temple on the sunl- | nit O. the bill, yet the two caves which | we entered were iD cerIit0 tli.lle hilJ l at a snort distance from that ruppOrt l ing E. Castillo. Chill and dsmp were tbese corridors, though outside was the terrible heat of Mexican uid Cmmer I noon.
 SCORPIONS AND sERPENTs
 Are said to luTk here. at least that is ihe excuse the IDdians gave for not | wishing io explore the dark passage, but ! We sAv none."
 On tLs journey back to CuernavscB we went by a slightly different route, hut fopad little of IL nfesest except a soli- .Gry Indlsn village whose deD!zens seemed to shun us and 10 ancient bridge | spanning a deep TGvlDC b a siDgie arch, and just wide enough. without an Iuch o' space to spgre, for our horses .n walk across. Tradition asserts that lhis bridge WAS made by the same an- ,ient tribes who bu.l, u CastI,,o, snd that it was used by them or their frs- lucnt pil2rimhges tc and from the Vale of Anahuac. IL is by DO means improb- atle. as She arch is not that of the present dGy. but nearly approaching .hcse ir the Maya rufus oi YucaiGn. Great aga is indicated in every feature 1f this most singu;sr bridge, aud it's is entirely different from Inc Aztec, Spanish, or modern Mexican.
 FANNIE B. WARD.